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Champion is the #1 Shuffleboard Manufacturer in America and growing. Since 1988, Champion has been focused on the craft of building quality shuffleboard tables. They offer coin-operated and custom designed shuffleboard tables and games. Each table and playfield is built in-house to ensure Champion's high quality standards. Play Shuffleboard, it's fun!
There was a time when table shuffleboard games were loved only by the players, not operators, or location owners. The game was thought of as an "older persons game" or an "expensive bar table." However, times have changed! With the success of Sports Bars, Brewery Restaurants and Family Fun Centers, table shuffleboard has caught on with players of all ages. In addition, many shuffleboard players are putting these shuffleboards in their own homes. The games involve skill and, of course, a little luck.
Save valuable time and money
Champion Shuffleboard has made three major contributions to the shuffleboard industry. The first is the "Lifetime Polymer" finish. The 1/4" thick polymer coating is applied over the maple playing field. This polymer eliminates the need for sanding down and refinishing which can be a yearly headache with other styles of boards on the market. It saves the game owner valuable time and money which has in the past been spent on maintenance of the game. The "Lifetime Polymer" finish provides a fantastic playing surface which players have come to expect and is guaranteed for the life of the game board.
Enjoy a faster paced game
Champion's second contribution was their patented "Handicap Scoring." The traditional 1-2-3 scoring remains on Champion's games along with the 1-2-3-4 Handicap system. This is great for people who enjoy a faster paced game or when a novice is playing an experienced player. The novice uses the "Handicap Scoring" while the experienced player uses the traditional scoring, resulting in a more fair and challenging game. Either way the game is played, both the player and the game owner benefit from the "Handicap Scoring." More games can be played in a shorter amount of time and as we all know, the more games played, the more money that is made.
Players are cheered and jeered
The third contribution that Champion has made to the shuffleboard industry is their "Talking" scoring unit. Players are cheered and jeered on by amazing sound effects while the triangular design makes it possible for both scores to be seen from anywhere in the location. Players and bystanders enjoy this exclusive feature.
A great return on an investment
Unlike video games profits which start out high and then decrease, shuffleboards make more money the longer they are in a location. In an average location each game will collect $80.00 per week or $4123 for the year. That a great return on an investment!
Built for the buyer
Champion Shuffleboard manufactures most all of our products at their Richland Hills plant in Texas. Each board or game is custom built for the buyer who can choose from lengths of 12 to 22 feet and have the option to add your logo, and/or special stain. Champion Manufacturing will work with you, the customer, to design a board which best fits your specific needs.
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Antideuterium, a type of antimatter, is a quantum charged reversed form of deuterium. Antideuterium is an isotope of hydrogen which contains one antiproton and one antineutron in its nucleus, and one positron orbiting the nucleus (just as its matter opposite, deuterium, is made up of a proton, neutron, and an electron).
In a matter-antimatter reactor, such as those used in modern warp-capable starships, antimatter, such as antideuterium, reacted with normal matter. The interaction annihilated both particles and converted their mass wholly into enormous quantities of energy and a cocktail of highly energetic sub-atomic particles, which was collectively channeled by a warp drive as warp plasma. This in turn powered a warp drive, allowing the ship to travel at faster-than-light speeds.
Because of the volatility of any antimatter (it will react violently with any matter it comes into contact with, such as that which composes a standard container's walls), it was stored in specialized antimatter pods, which were surrounded by a magnetic containment field aboard a starship per SFRA 3287.0. The handling and use of this fuel had to be compliance with SFRA 4832.4.
In 2367, antideuterium was on a list of explosives that Lieutenant Commander Data and Counselor Deanna Troi searched through in an attempt to find one that could produce enough energy to release the USS Enterprise-D and an alien ship from the Tyken's Rift. (TNG: "Night Terrors")

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Teachers Customize Textbooks Online
Connexions: A place for teachers, students, and professionals to search and contribute scholarly content, organized into "modules" or topic areas instead of entire textbooks.
CK12 FlexBooks: A nonprofit that aims to reduce the cost of textbook materials by encouraging the development of what they call the "FlexBook." Anyone can view or help create these standards-based, customizable, collaborative texts.
Shmoop: An up-and-coming collection of freely shared, expert-written content (most Shmoop authors are Ph.D.s and high school or college-level educators) with the goal of inspiring students and providing tons of free resources to teachers that include writing guides, analyses, and discussions.
MIT Open CourseWare: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology publishes nearly all of its course content on this site, from videos to lecture notes to exams, all free of charge and open to the public. Many other universities are doing the same, often using the content management system EduCommons.


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
On-line version ISSN 2078-5135
Print version ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.102 n.3 Cape Town Mar. 2012
HBV/HIV co-infection: The dynamics of HBV in South African patients with AIDS
Simnikiwe H MayaphiI; Theresa M RossouwII; Difuro P MasemolaIII; Steve A S OlorunjuIV; M Jeffrey MphahleleV; Desmond J MartinVI
IMB ChB, FC Path (SA), MMed, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria/ Tshwane Academic Division National Health Laboratory Service, Pretoria, South Africa
IIMB ChB, FC Path (SA), MMed, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria/ Tshwane Academic Division National Health Laboratory Service, Pretoria, South Africa
IIIMB ChB, M Phil - Applied Ethics, MPH, Department of Family Medicine, University of Pretoria, South Africa
IVBSc, MB ChB, Tshwane District Hospital ARV Clinic, Pretoria, South Africa
VBSc, MSc, PhD, Biostatistics Unit, Medical Research Council, Pretoria, South Africa
VIBSc, MSc, PhD, Department of Virology, University of Limpopo, Medunsa campus/National Health Laboratory Service, Pretoria, South Africa
OBJECTIVE: As sub-Saharan Africa is highly endemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, and their co-infection requires special management, we aimed to assess the serological and molecular characteristics of HBV in patients with AIDS.
DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional, case control study, which enrolled 200 patients with AIDS and 200 HIV-negative controls. HBV serology was done in all participants and HCV serology in participants with a hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) only serological pattern. Nested HBV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and HBV viral load assays were used for HBV molecular detection.
RESULTS: Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence was 3-fold higher while the "anti-HBc only" pattern was 6-fold higher in the AIDS group compared with the controls. Mean HBV viral load was significantly higher in HBsAg-positive patients with CD4+ cell counts <100 cells/μl than in patients with CD4+ cell counts of 100-200 cells/μl (p=0.019). There were markedly reduced hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) titres in the AIDS group compared with the controls (p=0.002). A significant proportion of AIDS patients with an "anti-HBc only" pattern had CD4+ cell counts <100 cells/μl (p=0.004). Occult HBV prevalence was 3.5% in the AIDS group compared with 1% in the controls (p=0.092). When occult HBV infection was taken into consideration, the overall HBV prevalence became 10% in the AIDS group and 3% in the control group.
CONCLUSION: We showed an increased HBV prevalence in patients with AIDS and identified a CD4+ cell count <100 cells/μl as a major risk factor for the "anti-HBc only" pattern and increased HBV replication. These data have significant public health implications for HBV in developing countries, especially in areas where antiretroviral (ARV) guidelines do not cater for HBV/HIV co-infection.
Approximately 2 billion people worldwide have evidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) exposure, and an estimated 400 million are chronically infected.1 Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the world and is also an HBV endemic area. South Africa's HBV prevalence is estimated to be 10%; however, this estimate comes from studies that were conducted in high-risk groups for HBV such as adult males or children during the pre-vaccination era.2
HBV co-infection with HIV is common, affecting 5 - 10% of patients infected with HIV. In developed countries where sexual and injection-drug-use exposures account for most HBV and HIV infections, the prevalence of chronic HBV infection may be >10-fold higher than the background prevalence among patients infected with HIV in some risk groups.3 Most data from sub-Saharan Africa show less than 2-fold or no increase in the prevalence of chronic HBV infections in patients infected with HIV,4 with few studies reporting more than a 2-fold increase.5,6
The development of an immunosuppressive status such as in organ transplantation, cancer and HIV/AIDS might induce reactivation of occult HBV with reappearance of the typical serological profile of productive infection.7-9 Occult HBV infection refers to the presence of HBV DNA without detectable hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with or without hepatitis B core antibodies (anti-HBc) or hepatitis B surface antibodies (anti-HBs) outside the pre-seroconversion window period.10 The 'anti-HBc only' serological pattern is a common marker of occult HBV infection. Some South African studies have reported a high prevalence of occult HBV infection among patients infected with HIV.5,11
The limitations (e.g. small sample size) and divergent results of the few sub-Saharan HBV/HIV co-infection studies demonstrate a need for more research in this area.4 We aimed to assess the serological and molecular characteristics of HBV in patients with AIDS.
Study population
This cross-sectional, case-control study was conducted in an urban, secondary hospital (Tshwane District Hospital, Pretoria), Gauteng province, South Africa. Four hundred South African participants (200 patients with AIDS and 200 HIV-negative participants) were enrolled from June 2007 to January 2009. AIDS was defined as CD4+ cell count of <200 cells/µl in patients infected with HIV. All participants were recruited from the same centre, Tshwane District Hospital HIV Clinic, which offers both HIV testing and antiretrovirals (ARVs), e.g. if tested positive for HIV at a voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) section, patients get referred to the ARV section of the clinic. HIV-negative participants (control group) were identified and recruited after HIV testing, while participants with AIDS were recruited from the HIV clinic before starting ARV treatment. The minimum age requirement for enrollment was 18 years. Questionnaire forms were used to collect participants' demographic and HBV risk-assessment data. Ethics approval for this study was granted by the University of Pretoria, and written informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment.
Sample collection and laboratory tests
Plasma and serum samples were obtained from all participants. All samples were stored at -70ºC within 24 - 72 hours of collection.
Serological testing was done on serum samples and molecular testing on plasma samples. Architect (Abbott Diagnostics, Wiesbaden, Germany) and Modular Analytics E170 (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) immunoassays, which are fourth-generation HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), were used for HIV diagnosis. Axsym immunoassays (Abbott Diagnostics, Wiesbaden, Germany) were used for HBV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serological testing. The HBV screening included HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc. Hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B e-antibodies (anti-HBe) were done on all HBsAg-positive specimens as well as those found to be positive for anti-HBc alone during HBV screening. HCV serology was done in participants with an 'anti-HBc only' serology as HCV infection is often associated with this serological picture.12
Viral nucleic acid was extracted from 100 µl of plasma using the MagNa Pure LC Total Nucleic Acid Isolation kit in the MagNa Pure LC instrument (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) according to manufacturer's instructions. Nested HBV DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay (qualitative in-house assay) was performed to detect occult HBV infections in participants who were HBsAgnegative after HBV serological screening. HBV core primers were used for nested HBV-PCR as previously described.11 The sensitivity of the nested HBV-PCR was determined by serial dilution (10-fold dilutions: 10-1-10-7) of samples with known HBV viral loads.
HBV viral loads were determined by Cobas TaqMan 48 HBV assay (Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Branchburg, USA) for all HBsAg-positive participants, those with 'anti-HBc only' pattern and in those positive on nested HBV PCR. Epics and UniCel DxC880i analysers (Beckman Coulter Diagnostics) were used for CD4 count measurements and liver function tests (LFTs), respectively.
Data analysis
Descriptive analysis was used to obtain summary statistics (mean, standard deviation, standard error, and 95% confidence intervals) for the parameters. This was followed by a comparison between the groups using two sample t-test for proportions. The mean HBV viral load and anti-HBs measurements between groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney or Wilcoxon rank sum test. The software used was STATA 11.2. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Black subjects comprised 98% of participants in this study and there were more males in the control group than in the AIDS group. The mean age was higher in the AIDS group. Only a small proportion of participants were vaccinated (0.5% in the AIDS group v. 3% in controls). Intravenous (IV) drug use and the number of lifetime sexual partners were significantly higher in the controls and the AIDS group, respectively. The mean CD4+ cell count in the AIDS group was 92.9 cells/µl (Table 1).
HBV serology results
HBsAg prevalence of 6.5% in the AIDS group was significantly higher than that of 2% in the control group. The total HBV exposure was significantly higher in the AIDS group compared with the control group, and the same trend was also noticed for both HBeAg and 'anti-HBc only' prevalence (Table 1). When stratifying the HBsAgpositive AIDS participants by CD4+ cell counts, the group with CD4+ cell counts of <100 cells/µl had a higher HBeAg prevalence of 83.0% (5 of 6) compared with 57.1% (4 of 7) in the group with CD4+ cell counts of 100 -200 cells/µl; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.680). HBeAg prevalence was 25% (1 of 4) in HBsAg-positive participants in the control group (Table 2). Two HBsAg-positive patients with AIDS had negative anti-HBc (Table 2).
The 'anti-HBc only' serological pattern was 6-fold higher in the AIDS group compared with the control group (Table 1). When patients with an 'anti-HBc only' serology in the AIDS group were stratified according to CD4+ cell counts, 73.7% (14 of 19) had CD4+ cell counts of <100 cells/µl compared with 26.3% (5 of 19) in the group with CD4+ cell counts of 100 - 200 cells/µl (p=0.004) (Table 3). HCV serology results were negative in all patients with an 'anti-HBc only' pattern (Table 3).
In the AIDS and control groups 60.5% and 76.0%, respectively, had no immunity to HBV (Table 1). AIDS patients had significantly decreased anti-HBs titres; mean titre of 235.17 mIU/ml compared to 514.29 mIU/ml in the control group (p=0.002). No difference was found in mean anti-HBs titres when the AIDS group was stratified by CD4+ cell counts.
HBV viral load results
The lower detection limit of the HBV viral load assay was 6 IU/ ml (~30 copies/ml). Mean HBV viral loads were significantly higher in HBsAg-positive patients with CD4+ cell counts of <100 cells/µl compared with the group with CD4+ cell counts of 100 200 cells/µl (p=0.019) (Table 2). HBV viral load values >110 000 000 IU/ml were excluded from the comparison between these groups as they are outliers (fall outside the reference range). Interestingly, even the HBeAg-negative (but anti-HBe-positive) patient (3 658) with a CD4+ cell count of <100 cells/µl (Table 2) had a very high HBV viral load compared with counterparts (3 464 and 3 321) with CD4+ cell counts of 100 - 200 cells/µl.
Nested HBV-PCR results
Nested HBV-PCR was used for detection of occult HBV infection, and its performance was assessed in all HBsAg-positive samples; it was positive in all these samples except for one that had a <6 IU/ml viral load (with an HBsAg titre of 217.04 S/N) (Table 2). Its lower detection limit was 0.2 IU/µl (~1 copy/µl) on serial dilution of HBsAg-positive samples with known viral loads (Fig. 1). This high sensitivity of nested HBV-PCR was noticed in some samples where HBV viral load was <6 IU/ml, but nested PCR was clearly positive (Table 3). Occult HBV infection was detected in most participants with 'anti-HBc only' serological picture (Table 3) and in one participant who was positive for both anti-HBc and anti-HBs (confirmed on repeat serology). The latter had an anti-HBs titre of 15 mIU/ml, a CD4+ cell count of 72 cells/µl, positive nested HBV-PCR, HBV viral load of 290 IU/ml, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of 16 IU/l. In total, occult HBV prevalence was 3.5% in the AIDS group compared with 1% in the control group (p-value - 0.092). Only one patient with occult HBV infection had an HBV viral load of >200 IU/ml (mentioned above). Contamination was successfully avoided in the nested PCR runs as all negative controls used at the end of each run or in between samples were negative (e.g. Fig. 1). Subsequently, all positive samples on nested PCR were sequenced, and the phylogenetic tree also did not show any indication of contamination (data not shown). When occult HBV infection was taken into consideration, the overall HBV prevalence in this study became 10% in the AIDS group and 3% in the control group.
Liver function tests
ALT levels were normal or slightly raised in HBsAg-positive patients with AIDS (Table 2).
This study demonstrates a 3-fold increase in HBsAg prevalence in patients with AIDS (6.5%) compared with the control group (2%). This impact would have been difficult to observe without using a control group, as the average South African HBsAg prevalence is considered to be 10%. Therefore, HBV/HIV co-infection studies without a control group are more likely to underestimate the impact HIV/AIDS has on HBV prevalence, especially in areas of high HBV endemicity where most of the population are exposed to HBV during childhood. A study in South African patients with AIDS at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital noted a similar HBsAg prevalence of 6% but could not conclude whether this was high or not, probably because of the lack of a control group.13 The reason for low HBV prevalence (<10%) in both groups of this study could be that the HBsAg prevalence of 10% comes from studies conducted in populations at high risk for chronic HBV (adult males or children only) and, therefore, is not always applicable for assessment of HBV prevalence in the general adult population. For instance, Tsebe et al.14 noticed a 3.3% HBsAg prevalence in the general adult population of Limpopo (formerly Northern Province). Despite the number of lifetime sexual partners being significantly higher in the AIDS group, this is unlikely to have influenced the high HBV prevalence in this group as other HBV risk factors such as male gender and IV drug use were significantly higher in the controls.
HBV prevalence varies considerably in South Africa owing to gender, age, race and geographic location of a studied population, e.g. blacks, males, and residence in the rural or coastal areas such as Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are risk factors associated with high HBV prevalence. This prevalence could be as high as 10% or more in those at high risk for HBV and as low as 1% in low risk groups as noted in children born into an urban environment.2 There was a lower HBV prevalence in the control group despite more risk factors for chronic HBV prevalence such as higher number of males and IV drug users (Table 1). South African studies have also shown an increased HBV prevalence in adult patients infected with HIV;5,6 one reported a 22.9% and the other a 5% HBsAg prevalence. However, the latter study used an HBsAg prevalence of 1% as a reference point even though this prevalence rate was only noticed among a group of children born in an urban area, and would therefore be inappropriate for a diverse adult population in terms of risk factors for HBV.
Mean HBV viral load of HBsAg-positive patients was significantly higher in the AIDS group with CD4+ cell counts of <100 cells/µl, indicating an increased HBV replication with profound immunosuppression. This in turn results in an increased risk of HBV transmission to patients' close contacts (e.g. family members and friends) and susceptible health care workers. Immunosuppression could also account for a very high HBV viral load in an HBeAg-negative (but anti-HBepositive) patient with a CD4+ cell count of <100 cells/µl,15 and for failure of some HBsAg-positive patients to produce anti-HBc (Table 2).16 The undetectable HBV DNA in an HBsAgpositive participant in the control group was surprising; however, this phenomenon has been described in chronic HBV infection especially after HBeAg seroclearance.17
Liver damage is mediated by cytotoxic immune responses in immunocompetent individuals. However, HBV/HIV co-infected patients are often asymptomatic and usually have normal or slightly raised ALT levels (Table 2), possibly because of weak cytotoxic immune responses as a result of immunosuppression. Paradoxically, the risk of developing cirrhosis is much greater in HBV/HIV co-infected patients despite having less necro-inflammatory activity in the liver. HBV replication in the liver is non-cytopathic; however, fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis, a severe and rapidly progressive form of HBV infection thought to be due to a direct cytopathic effect of the virus, has been anecdotally described in patients infected with HIV and other groups of immunosuppressed patients.18 HBV/ HIV co-infected patients with AIDS are also at a high risk of developing immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The accelerated HBV progression (Table 2) and higher likelihood of IRIS in patients with AIDS clearly argue for earlier initiation of HAART in HBV co-infected patients before their CD4+ cell counts drop below 200 cells/µl as advocated by the 2010 WHO ARV guidelines.19
HBV/HIV co-infection requires special management as some ARV drugs (tenofovir, lamivudine and emtricitabine) are active against HBV. Dual therapy for HBV is recommended in HIV co-infected patients in order to avoid HBV drug resistance, particularly to lamivudine, which has a low resistance barrier. As a result, the use of tenofovir and lamivudine/emtricitabine is recommended as part of a HAART regimen for HBV/HIV co-infected patients.20
Isolated anti-HBc is commonly associated with occult HBV infection. Mphahlele et al.11 reported an occult HBV prevalence of 33.3% in South Africans infected with HIV who had an 'anti-HBc only' serological picture. In our study, there was a significantly high proportion of patients with an 'anti-HBc only' serological picture in the AIDS group, and occult HBV infection was detected in 31.6% of these patients. The finding of positive nested HBV PCR in some samples with HBV viral load <6 IU/ml shows that a more sensitive test is needed for the diagnosis of occult HBV (Table 3). Other South African studies have also reported a high prevalence of occult HBV in patients with AIDS.5,6,11 The finding of negative HCV serology in all patients with an 'anti-HBc only' serological picture was not surprising, given that South Africa has an HCV prevalence of less than 2%.21
Although there is uncertainty regarding the clinical significance of occult HBV infection, a clear association of occult HBV infection and liver disease in the absence of other causes such as HCV infection or alcohol abuse has been described.10 The prevalence of occult HBV ranges from 0% to 10% among individuals without liver disease, 11% to 19% in patients with chronic hepatitis, 12% to 61% in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and 1% to 95% in patients with HCV infection.22 It would be difficult to diagnose occult HBV infection in patients with AIDS as some guidelines utilise only HBsAg for HBV screening.19,23 More data are needed on occult HBV infection to elucidate its role in clinical disease in HIV co-infected patients, especially in areas of high HBV endemicity.
Markedly reduced anti-HBs titres could explain the high HBsAg prevalence and 'anti-HBc only' presentation in patients with AIDS, as some of these individuals eventually lose protective antibodies. This loss of HBV protective immunity may lead to reactivation of HBV, or exposure to new HBV infections. As patients infected with HIV lose protective antibody levels more quickly (40% loss in 1 year vs 5% loss in HIV-negative individuals),24,25 it may be a good practice to administer HBV vaccine booster doses to those with relatively low anti-HBs titres prior to commencement of HAART. Some experts use anti-HBs levels of less than 100 IU/l as a cut-off point for HBV vaccine booster doses in HIV-infected individuals,26 and our findings support this practice and reinforce its value in HIV endemic countries. The lack of HBV immunity in 60.5% of patients with AIDS could be explained by the fact that HBV vaccine was only implemented in the South African Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in 1995 and then not routinely offered to adults. Patients infected with HIV but with no HBV immunity should be considered for HBV vaccination to prevent HBV co-infection. Hepatitis B vaccine response in patients infected with HIV correlates with the CD4+ cell counts (87%, 33% and 25% in CD4 count >500, 200 - 500 and <200 cells/µl, respectively).24 Therefore, HBV vaccination of patients infected with HIV may be most costeffective in patients with CD4 count >500 cells/µl. In addition to using HBsAg in the HBV screening protocol, HIV management guidelines for developing countries should also incorporate anti-HBs to identify patients with low or no HBV immunity.
HIV/AIDS increased HBV prevalence and has enhanced other transmission risk patterns for HBV, which were previously uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa. For instance, horizontal transmission in childhood predominates in this region, but, with high HBV viral loads in HIV co-infected patients, there is now a high risk for both horizontal transmission among adults and vertical transmission of HBV. This undermines the HBV vaccination efforts which are targeted at reducing the HBV prevalence, and warrants changes in HBV screening and vaccination policies in sub-Saharan Africa in order to curb the spread of HBV. For example, in the past HBV screening of pregnant South African women was not considered to be cost-effective as HBV mono-infected carriers in South Africa are usually HBeAg-negative and therefore less infectious.27 This practice may need to be changed for HIV/HBV co-infected patients with AIDS as they tend to be HBeAg-positive with high HBV viral loads.
This study demonstrated a significantly increased HBV prevalence and decreased anti-HBs titres in patients with AIDS, and also identified a CD4+ cell count of <100 cells/µl as a major risk factor for the 'anti-HBc only' serological pattern and increased HBV replication. There was an increased prevalence of occult HBV infection in patients with AIDS. These findings have important diagnostic and treatment implications for HBV in patients with AIDS, especially in areas with a high burden of HIV and HBV infections. Therefore, a more comprehensive HBV screening programme is recommended for adequate management of HBV in HIV/AIDS. This should include HBsAg and anti-HBs, to identify HBsAg-positive individuals and also those with no HBV immunity or low anti-HBs titres. Although this comprehensive HBV screening has cost implications, it could be cost-effective even in resource-constrained settings when HBV vaccine is made available for prevention of HBV in patients infected with HIV. Early initiation of HAART should be considered in HBV/ HIV co-infection to avoid HBV disease progression and IRIS, which are more likely to occur at low CD4+ cell counts.
The limitations of this study include the small sample size, and the inability to exclude other factors associated with isolated anti-HBc such as the 'HBsAg window period' of acute HBV infection.
Acknowledgements. We are grateful to the research laboratory staff of the Departments of Medical Virology (University of Pretoria) and Virology (University of Limpopo, Medunsa campus), and study sponsors for their support. Funding was received from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) and Poliomyelitis Research Foundation (PRF).
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7. Raimondo G, Pollicino T, Squadrito G. What is the clinical impact of occult hepatitis B virus infection? Lancet 2005;365(9460):638-640. [ Links ]
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9. Awerkiew S, Däumer M, Reiser M, et al. Reactivation of an occult hepatitis B virus escape mutant in an anti-HBs positive, anti-HBc negative lymphoma patient. J Clin Virol 2007;38:83-86. [ Links ]
10. Allain J. Occult hepatitis B virus infection. Transfus Clin Biol 2004;11:18-25. [ Links ]
11. Mphahlele MJ, Lukhwareni A, Burnett RJ, Moropeng LM, Ngobeni JM. High risk of occult hepatitis B virus infection in HIV-positive patients from South Africa. J Clin Virol 2006;35:14-20. [ Links ]
12. Hu K. Occult hepatitis B virus infection and its clinical implications. J Viral Hepatitis 2002;9:243-257. [ Links ]
13. Lodenyo H, Schoub B, Ally R, Kairu S, Segal I. Hepatitis B and C virus infections and liver function in AIDS patients at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg. East Afr Med J 2000;77:13-15. [ Links ]
14. Tsebe KV, Burnett RJ, Hlungwani NP, Sibara MM, Venter PA, Mphahlele MJ. The first five years of universal hepatitis B vaccination in South Africa: evidence for elimination of HBsAg carriage in under 5-year olds. Vaccine 2001;19:3919-3926. [ Links ]
15. Cooley L, Sasadeusz J. Clinical and virological aspects of hepatitis B co-infection in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus type-1. J Clin Virol 2003;26:185-193. [ Links ]
16. Avettand-Fenoel V, Thabut D, Katlama C, Poynard T, Thibault V. Immune suppression as the etiology of failure to detect anti-HBc antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection. J Clin Microbiol 2006;44:2250-2253. [ Links ]
17. Chen C-J, Yang H-I, Jen C-L, Su J, Iloeje UH. Incidence and determinants of spontaneous decline of HBV DNA to undetectable level in patients with high viral load. J Hepatol 2010;52:S1-S21. [ Links ]
18. Puoti M, Torti C, Bruno R, Filice G, Carosi G. Natural history of chronic hepatitis B in co-infected patients. J Hepatol 2006;44:S65-S70. [ Links ]
19. World Health Organization. Antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection in adults and adolescents -recommendations for a public health approach. 2010 www.who.org (accessed 12 November 2010). [ Links ]
20. Bhattacharya D, Thio CL. Review of hepatitis B therapeutics. Clin Infect Dis 2010;51(10):1201-1208. [ Links ]
21. Botha JF, Kassianides C, Schneider HR, Song E, Spearman W, van der Merwe SW. South African hepatitis C management guidelines 2010. The South African Gastroenterology Review 2010;April:20-25. [ Links ]
22. Chen C. Time-dependent events in natural history of occult hepatitis B virus infection: the importance of population-based long-term follow-up study with repeated measurements. J Hepatol 2005;42:438-440. [ Links ]
23. SAHIVCS (Southern African HIV Clinicians Society). Antiretroviral therapy in adults. S Afr J HIV Med 2008;29:18-31. [ Links ]
24. Brook G. Prevention of viral hepatitis in HIV co-infection. J Hepatol 2006;44:S104-S107. [ Links ]
25. Laurence JC. Hepatitis A and B immunizations of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus. Am J Med 2005;118(10A):75S-83S.26. [ Links ]
26. Wasmuth J, Rockstroh J. HIV and HBV/HCV coinfections. In: Hoffmann C, Rockstroh JK, Kamps BS, eds. HIV Medicine. 15th ed. Paris: Flying Publisher, 2007:539-565. [ Links ]
27. Guidozzi F, Schoub BD, Johnson S, Song E. Should pregnant urban South African women be screened for hepatitis B? S Afr Med J 1993;83:103-105. [ Links ]
Accepted 1 November 2011
Corresponding author: S H Mayaphi (firstname.lastname@example.com)


text:
Happy Birthday Mookie
While serving as the New York Mets outfield and baserunning coordinator last season, Mookie Wilson, 55, made a few stops in Buffalo to watch the Herd take the field. During one of his visits, the Mets Hall of Famer took a few minutes to talk with me about being bored and getting busy with baseball again.
On the field with the Mets from 1980-89, he became first base coach in 1996 and held the post through the 2002 season. This season, he'll aid a number of former Bisons, returning as first base coach and join former Bisons skipper Ken Oberkfell on manager Terry Collins staff.
BisonsTV: Other BisonsTV features on bisons.com
photo: New York Mets / mets.com


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Rob's right fist hurt more than she'd remembered. That was the first thing Anna thought as she tried to focus through the pain. Tried not to cry in front of hime.
But that didn't stop Anna from cupping her palm protectively over her cheek, just in case Rob decided to hit her again.
Rob was sitting across from her once more, his crisp Brooks Brothers dress shirt hardly wrinkled. He Scowled. "What Anna? Fro once you have nothing to say?"
With a force of will, she dropped her hand and clasped her palms together. Resolved to stay calm. Yet, one more time, her mind played back to what she'd seen in his office earlier that day. How he'd been cashing checks for personal use from his campaign funds. And, worst of all, the realization that he'd spent some of that money on her. "There isn't anything to say. Not anymore."
"That, my dear, is where you're wrong. I don't ever want to heat that disbelieving, sarcastic tone in your voice again. And once more, you will never even think of mentioning your opinions about my business when we're in public again. Do you hear me?"
He was yelling. Of course she could hear him.
But now she believed his threats. After she'd questioned the receipts she'd found in front of one of his closest staff, Rob had been livid. Less than an hour later he pulled her out of the party, saying they had things to discuss. He's barely spoken a word to her the whole way home. She had a feeling this was coming. And yet has hoped that his anger would subside, that it wouldn't come to this.
"Anna, answer."
"Yes." Unable to help herself, she nodded. The movement swayed the diamond drop earrings. When she'd first received them, she'd loved the sweet tinkling noise they made. Now that she realized they'd been bought with money from Rob's supporters, their weight merely intensified her piercing headache.
Rob's eyes followed the flash of the diamond against the shadows of his living room wall. Anna knew the look that glinted in his eyes. It spoke of satisfaction. Ownership.
How has she been so very wrong about him?
Color returned to his cheeks as Rob leaned back against the cushions of the cream-colored couch. "Don't forget who you are talking to. We have a future together, Anna. We have plans."
She didn't even try to hide the bitterness in her voice. "I don't date men who hit me."
"That was an accident."
His voice hardened. "It was an accident, Anna."
She knew it hadn't been. Instinctively, she knew he'd planned to hit her from the moment she said too much at the party. "Are you sure?"
Almost smiling, he raised his brows. "Come on. We both know I'm not the type of man who would hit a woman. But I'm also not the type of man to let a woman walk all over him. You need to learn your place, Anna. Learn your place and not forget it."
Unfortunately, she was slowly learning her place. She was just sorry it had taken her so long.
And that was the problem, wasn't it? Rob Peterson was all polished veneer. He was smooth talking, gift-giving, perfectly handsome and extremely well-mannered. When he'd first asked her out, Anna had been foolishly excited that he'd even noticed her.
And though he'd seemed possessive and at times controlling, she'd pretended it was only natural that a man like him would want everything to be perfect.
After all, he was running for a seat in the House of Representatives. He was an important man. A lot of people thought so.
As weeks turned to months, she'd quit her job and took another one─a silly position at an insurance company where she didn't have to work full time. Rob has asked that she'd be available at a moment's notice. To attend fundraisers and social galas.
When he took her shopping and paid cash for a closetful of designer dresses, skirts, and shoes, she'd pushed aside her own feeling for the clothes, even thought she would have usually never worn skirts so form-fitting, necklines so low, or heels so high. After all, those things were important to Rob and the clothes were so much nicer than anything she'd ever owned.
But now Rob wasn't going to let her go. She knew it, and he knew it. Now her cheek knew it, too.
She was trapped.
As she sat across from him, felt his gaze on her, noticed that her cheek was swelling, Anna knew there was only one thing to do. She had to get away.
She tried to smile. Let him think she was just going to shrug this off as she had the other times. Standing up, she smoothed the jade green silk sheath around her hips. Stepped toward him on four inch heels. Close enough to smell his cologne.
Close enough for him to touch her again if he wanted to.
Tried to think of a lit he would believe. "I'm sorry about everything Rob. I had no business saying a word about your finances, especially since I love your gifts so much. The truth is, I…I've been nervous about our future."
His dark brown eyes turned languid. "What are you nervous about?"
She picked a reason he would completely accept. "I saw how your were talking with that girl at the party earlier this evening. She was flirting with you nonstop."
"Who?" Rob leaned forward. Ran a finger up the expanse of her bare arm.
"The redhead?" Anna pretended to almost forget the woman's name. "Sammy?"
"Oh. That was Samantha, not Sammy." Oh, so gently, Rob pulled her down next to him. "Don't give her another thought. She's a nobody. You have nothing to be nervous about, baby. No other girl is like you. I get compliments on those pretty green eyes of yours almost every day."
Anna looked down so he wouldn't see the emotion she was trying so hard to conceal. But just as firmly, Rob tilted her chin up, so they were almost eye to eye. Almost tenderly, he wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. "Don't cry, Anna," he murmured, frowning. "I'm just doing what I have to do."
Inside, her nerves were warring. Fear and regret churned together, making her feel faint and nauseous. Anna knew she couldn't continue the charade much longer. "I think I better go home."
"Already?" He glanced at his gold watch. "It's not even midnight."
She tried to smile. "You're forgetting that I'm a working girl. They're expecting me at nine a.m. sharp. "She pulled away and reached for her coat.
He followed her to the door. "As soon as we're engaged, you can quit," he murmured as he helped her slip on the black wool coat over her shoulders. After fastening the top button, he leaned closer and grazed his lips across her ear. "Then your time will be all mine."
Her heart was pounding. "I know it will. I'll see you tomorrow, Rob."
Just as he leaned close to kiss her, his cell phone rang. Looking at the screen, Rob grimaced. "I've got to get this, Anna. Sorry."
She slipped out.
There were twenty steps to the car. She just had to make it twenty steps. With every ounce of effort, Anna walked slowly, her back straight, her head high. Just as if Rob was watching her from the window.
Ten more feet.
Two more feet. She slid into her sedan, turned on the ignition. Placed the car in reverse. Slowly edged the car down the driveway. Switched to drive. The front curtain fluttered as Rob finally walked away.
As she drove down his street, Anna dared to lock the doors. Safe. She was almost safe. The tears came, fast and furious. There was no doubt anymore, she has to get away.
Everyone loved Rob Peterson They loved his smile, they loved his promises. Her parents thought his commanding manner was just what she needed. So far, no one had believed her when she tried to tell them he was dangerous. No one believed that he could hurt her, that he would hurt her. Especially not his brother-in-law, the sheriff.
Yes, as far as everyone was concerned, Anna Metzger already belonged to Rob Peterson.
With a ragged breath, Anna knew what she had to do. Before it was too late, she had to go someplace where no one could find her. She had to hide. By morning, she would have a plan. And then, to almost everyone who knew her…she would be gone.


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U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston, whose district includes most of the South Shore, filed a bill that would withdraw the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Zohydro, the first commercially available pure form of hydrocodone – the main ingredient in drugs like Vicodin.
QUINCY – U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch wants to ban a powerful new painkiller that experts say is ripe for abuse.
Lynch, D-South Boston, whose district includes most of the South Shore, filed a bill that would withdraw the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of Zohydro, the first commercially available pure form of hydrocodone – the main ingredient in drugs like Vicodin.
Zohydro was approved without safeguards to make it tamper-resistant. It's up to 10 times more potent than Vicodin.
The FDA approved the drug in October despite objections from its own advisory board and addiction experts who were already calling it the next OxyContin and worried that it would unleash a similar wave of abuse, overdoses and crime. Zohydro is due to hit pharmacy shelves this month.
Lynch, co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, co-sponsored the bill with U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky. Massachusetts Reps. William Keating, Joseph Kennedy III and Katherine Clark have also signed on as supporters.
Lynch could not be reached for comment Friday.
Arlene Goldstein, program coordinator at Impact Quincy, said the planned release of Zohydro comes at a time when prescription painkiller abuse is fueling an increase in heroin addiction nationwide.
"The timing is terrible for this," she said. "The country is inundated with this epidemic, Anything that could put the brakes on it is appropriate."
Police, prosecutors, elected officials and advocates on the South Shore for years have been calling attention to a growing opiate problem that they say has reached epidemic proportions, sending addicts into jail cells, emergency rooms and morgues.
OxyContin was introduced in 1995 to treat patients suffering from severe pain. But illicit users quickly found ways to override the drug's timed-release mechanism by crushing the pills into powder and and then snorting or injecting the drug. In 2010, OxyContin's maker, Purdue Pharma, reformulated the drug so pills become gooey if crushed.
Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey is concerned that Zohydro, which has no such safeguards, could be abused.
"The district attorney is concerned to see Zohydro coming to market, based on that past experience," Morrissey's spokesman, David Traub, said. "It would be wise for consumers and prescribers both to be very cautious and keep the experience of OxyContin in mind."
A spokesman for the FDA said the agency has not yet reviewed Lynch's bill.
Zohydro maker San Diego-based Zogenix did not respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon. On its website, the company says Zohydro provides an alternative to other opioid painkillers that contain acetaminophen, which can cause liver damage over time. It also says the drug will only be available in smaller doses than others like OxyContin, but it acknowledged the greater risk for overdose and death given the larger amount of hydrocodone.
The company also says the drug is intended only for patients suffering from severe pain that requires round-the-clock treatment and for whom other painkillers are not effective.
But Weymouth police Capt. Richard Fuller predicted that it won't be long before Zohydro makes its way from pharmacy shelves to the streets.
"We're living in the real world, and this stuff will be on the street the day after it's released, and it'll find its way here," he said.
Reach Christian Schiavone at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @CSchiavo_Ledger.
READ MORE about this issue.


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Survey finds 'staggeringly high rate of spanking' in North Carolina
A new survey led by UNC researchers finds that 30 percent of North Carolina mothers of children less than two years old say they have spanked their children in the last year.
Media contact: Tom Hughes, (919) 966-6047, firstname.lastname@example.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A new survey finds that 30 percent of North Carolina mothers of children less than two years old say they have spanked their children in the last year.
In addition, 5 percent of North Carolina mothers of three-month-old babies say they have spanked their very young children. More than 70 percent of mothers of 23-month-old children say they have done so, too.
"We were pretty surprised by the staggeringly high rate of spanking," said Adam Zolotor, MD, MPH, lead author of the study, an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and a core faculty member of the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center. "We need to do a better job as a society teaching parents how to teach their kids what they need to learn without fear, pain, or coercion."
The study was published June 24, 2011 by Frontiers in Child and Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, an open-access online journal.
In the study, a total of 2,946 mothers of children born in North Carolina between Oct. 1, 2005 and July 31, 2007 completed the anonymous telephone survey. The survey was conducted from Oct. 1, 2007 to April 7, 2008, at UNC's Survey Research Unit.
"The very young children that are the focus of this study are not developmentally sophisticated enough for willful misbehavior," Zolotor said. "Family physicians, pediatricians, and parent educators must start much earlier at helping parents understand child behavior and develop discipline strategies.
"The cost to society is huge," Zolotor said. "We know that spanking has been associated with child abuse victimization, poor self-esteem, impaired parent-child relationships, and child and adult mental health, substance abuse, and behavioral consequences."
Co-authors of the study are Desmond K. Runyan, MD, MPH of UNC; Ronald G. Barr of the Child & Family Research Institute at the University of British Columbia; and T. Walker Robinson, MD, MPH and Robert A. Murphy, PhD, both of Duke University Medical Center.


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Welcome to UK HealthCare Information Technology.
Our improvement journey began in 2009 and a complete restructuring process has been completed. The IT team is fully committed to keeping the patient at the center of our work. We are dedicated to improving UK HealthCare's signature metrics, which include quality/safety, service excellence, efficiency and impact. We have committed to living our values as we "build a world-class IT function to transform health care."
- Current Job Openings
- For IT assistance, please contact the UK HealthCare IT Support Team at 859-323-8586.
- Link Blue (access to myUK and other resources)
- CareWeb (for updates call 859-323-8586 or email firstname.lastname@example.com)
Mission & Values
Mission: Improve the University of Kentucky & UK HealthCare
Vision: Build a world-class IT function to transform health care
Values: RAISE
Servant Leadership
An Enterprise-wide Initiative to Solidify the Future
As UK HealthCare has become increasingly reliant on data and information, we have made significant progress toward a lofty vision to build a world-class IT function to transform UK HealthCare.
In 2009, our IT Governance team developed some major goals, including implementation of technology for our new hospital pavilion; integration of a recently acquired community hospital; and achieving "meaningful use," as defined in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and determining a solution for our ambulatory electronic medical record.
To begin, we restructured the IT leadership team. After recruiting nationally, we have established a strong team excited about the challenges ahead. This new leadership team worked to recruit and build a team with an updated, more contemporary IT skill set. Succession planning, development planning and mentoring programs are being established to ensure our team members are positioned for successful careers here at UK HealthCare.
Part of our transformation included creation of an "Improvement Journey," which puts the patient at the center of our work.
Finally, we set out to create strong strategic alignment with our medical and business functions. We created this plan after interviewing our medical and business leaders. It is a summary of medical and business strategies we gathered during this process and identifies potential items to align with IT solutions. Our IT Governance team will use this input in the coming years to continue guiding IT as well as establish upcoming priorities and funding for our solutions and services.
As we work closely with our medical and business functions in the years ahead, we will build upon our strong momentum and live our vision. We are excited about the challenges we face and committed to keeping the patient at the center of our ambitions.


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DURHAM — Taking its perch among the dozens of handcrafted felt birds, the bald eagle will join the collection of popular ornaments at the St. George Episcopal Church holiday fair this season.
The newest member of the series is expected to sell quickly at the church's annual holiday fair just as the 37 species created in years passed have — before noon.
Penny Hardy, of Lee, has been helping diligently craft these creatures since 1980, when the ornamental offering consisted of just two types of birds: the cardinal and the swan.
Since 1999, a new distinct species has been created each year. While it's normally a bird local to the region that's added to the collection, this year's was inspired by the presidential election, group member Liza Hewitt said. That and perhaps a dwindling number of local species to choose from.
"We're running out of birds," Pat Herbst, of Durham, said Wednesday.
She and Hardy were beginning to move the collection to be sold at the craft fair Dec. 1, which will consist of nearly 80 bald eagles as well as dozens of past favorites.
Last year, Hewitt told Foster's she came up with the idea to craft a tern for 2011 after spotting one in Prescott Park in Portsmouth.
The templates for each pattern are kept under lock and key in a safe at the church and the group, which now consists of nearly a dozen crafters, begins working on the ornaments right after the Easter Holiday, Herbst said.
While each member plays a role in creating the set of felt birds, Hardy said it's gluing some of the pieces together that's the most difficult of the process.
"All the birds are designed by someone in the church," she said.
And the hours spent crafting each one by hand are taken very seriously.
"We're 'fussbudgets.' We don't like bad work," Herbst said. "We're very particular on how things get done."
If the number of people flocking to the perfect birds once doors open for the fair indicates appreciation for their work ethic, their efforts are not in vain.
"A lot of people in Durham collect them and can't wait to see the new bird," Hardy said.
The crafters even take care to make sure each bird has some color to it so it's cheerfulness will show distinctly against a dark green Christmas tree, Herbst said.
While a lot of the work to construct these creatures is done right at the church, sometimes members of the crafting group take their work home. But joining together to make these creatures is part of what makes this project a "labor of love."
"There's a fellowship between among us," Herbst said.
"It's a lot of fun," Hardy, who said she was "roped into it" the first year she joined the church 32 years ago, added.
Some returning favorites include the tern, flamingo, penguin, blue heron, egret, snowy owl, goldfinch, and a list of others.
The craft fair will be held at the church located at 14 Main St. and will open its doors at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1.
Eagles join handcrafted birds for sale at Durham church fair
DURHAM — Taking its perch among the dozens of handcrafted felt birds, the bald eagle will join the collection of popular ornaments at the St. George Episcopal Church holiday fair this season.


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NORTH LOOP — Opus Development Corp. announced today it plans to move ahead with its 101-unit apartment project called Velo (which is French for bicycle).
The developer plans to break ground on the project at 103 N. 2nd St. in the spring and wrap up construction by spring 2014, according to a news release. The apartment development will go up across the street from the 222 Hennepin development — an apartment building under construction that will have a new Whole Foods market at street level.
Velo will also have 12,000 square feet of retail space at street level. Amenities planned for the building include an outdoor plaza, yoga studio, outdoor fire pits and grill kitchen, fitness centers and rooftop terrace with resident garden projects.
Opus is also moving ahead with a 26-story apartment tower The Nic on Fifth planned for 5th & Nicollet.


text:
The ability of a system to keep functioning normally in the event of a component failure, by having backup components that perform duplicate functions.
In the digital age, maximizing asset value often means using different storage tiers with different cost and access characteristics for data in different stages of its life.
Compact, scalable deduplication appliances with enterprise performance, replication, and manageability.
Enterprise deduplication appliances with the power and performance needed for data centers, multi-site installations, and cloud environments.
Variable-length deduplication typically reduces disk backup capacity by more than 90% and allows existing networks to be used for automated DR protection.
Scalable disk-backup and replication appliances featuring variable-length deduplication for maximum data reduction and highest value—all powered by StorNext 5.
Industry's first virtual deduplication appliances for protecting virtual and physical servers using a software-only device—perfect for remote offices.


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Daniel Cutcliffe : Reason 2 Believe : Faith Skate SupplyFoundation and Dekline flow bro Daniel Cutcliffe is tough as nails! Two back to back ACL blow's and Daniel still managed to come through will a kick ass part for Faith Skate Supply's latest video "Reason 2 Believe." Video and Edit: Christopher "Cricket" Thurber. For more info on how to support "Reason 2 Believe" contact www.faithskatesupply.com.
Posted January 13th, 2014 by Tyler Culbertson


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The Poetics prompt at dVerse Poets Pub today is offered by guest bartender Lynn. She is asking us to write about what the watchman sees. I decided to take my first line from the Isaiah verse she quoted, with a slight modification. This prompt was actually perfect for me this week as I've been writing more (in prose/essay form) about my personal experience with abortion. I've felt a little like the watchman, though a reluctant one.
I Am a Reluctant Watchman
Go set a watchman; let her announce what she's seen
Declares the Lord our God
It's not about me, knows the watchman, but where I've been
I don't want to play watchman in our world today
I tell the Lord my God
It's not about you, He replies, you must go this way
And so I speak the atrocities I've both seen and done
Trusting the Lord my God
Then I share the compassion of Jesus the Son
Murder I see and murder I've perpetrated
Grieving the Lord our God
For our own convenience children are daily terminated
Lies I was told and deception reigns supreme
Angering the Lord our God
I wish I could say this is only a horrible dream
But He's set me a watchman to announce what I've seen
Glorifying the Lord my God
With the truth I learned when I was just seventeen
Choices made out of fear can never be undone
Whispers the Lord my God
But they can be forgiven by the grace Christ has won


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Annie Leibovitz used the cast of the new Spider-Man musical for a Vogue fashion shoot. Take a closer look at the $60 million musical. Fingers crossed for a Carnage solo where he writes on the walls with his own blood.
Here's a collection of images from the Vogue fashion shoot, which revealed the villain Swiss Miss's costume, along with Carnage's movement clothes.
We wonder how they're going to make Carnage's appendages mutate — or seriously, why he was included at all. With all that director Julie Taymor has going on, we're surprised that Carnage is even in this. Don't get us wrong, Taymor's Lion King was a visual wonder, but from the sound of the Vogue article, Taymor is juggling a lot more this time around. Here's just a tiny taste of what's happening on stage at the Spider-Man musical.
-There's a chorus of "arachno-girls" who all require 8 stiletto heels (presumably because the arachno-ladies are mutant spider women with 8 legs). Nuts, but hey, it's a musical, you have to take advantage of the Chorus Line perks.
-Taymor is utilizing shadow puppets to depict the death of Uncle Ben. Which makes us think that no one is going to die on stage who isn't a giant green villain, so why have Carnage again?
- Taymor also has giant LED screens that will "project mutant project mutant ne'er-do-wells wreaking havoc on world capitals."
- The orchestra pit and the proscenium has been removed all together to
sell more tickets bring the audience in closer to the action.
- "In one sequence, the fisticuffs between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin atop the Chrysler Building lead to Spidey's jumping off the ledge-and suddenly the scenery shifts to a forced perspective that makes us feel as if we are staring down the side of a skyscraper into the street. Next thing we know, Spider-Man and the Goblin are whizzing through the air over our heads, locked in mortal combat, landing on a platform attached to the first balcony." Ok, that sounds awesome.
We really want this musical to do well, but we can't help but get overwhelmed just by reading little tidbits from the production. Plus there's that whole issue of the music being a horrible disaster. Hopefully all the issues will be smoothed out when the whole thing premieres in January of 2011.


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Destin over at the Smarter Every Day video blog has done it again. This time he shows you gun-lovers how to take incredible photos of muzzle flashes. The rig he's built has impeccable timing, and the results are amazing.
This should go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway: don't be stupid. Guns can kill you. Take every precaution when handling firearms and make sure you really, really know what you're doing. [Smarter Every Day]


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EDT:How to Create/Edit Wiki pages
To create a new page:
- Enter a new URL in your browser and include the "EDT:" prefix. For example, wiki.eclipse.org/EDT:MyNewPage.
You'll be told that there's no text in the page. Click on the Edit this page link or the Edit tab.
- Using the Wikitext editor (click on Wikitext in the toolbar), place this line at the bottom of your page (with double brackets)
The category may not display correctly until you save your work.
Marking the page causes includes your contribution on the Category:EDT page. This way we can make sure pages are appropriately included in the sidebar navigation of the wiki.
To include code snippets:
You can set code examples to monospace by clicking WikiText and then using the following tags:
- For inline examples such as use this tagging:
x = y
<source>x = y</source>
The <source> tag is used instead of <code> or <pre> since it provides syntax highlighting similar to an advanced source code editor. We use the Java language highlighting, since one doesn't exist (yet) for EGL. If you are interested in writing a syntax highlighter for EGL, the GeSHi (Generic Syntax Highlighter) extension is used.
You can spend a lot of trying to create complex formatting, but the wiki is imperfect. For example, you cannot create multiple lines of code under a bullet or number (or at least not easily), and it seems impossible to create multiple lines of code under a second-level bullet.


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CLOSED -- Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, November 28
No sign up necessary
Learn more
Class Details
CLOSED -- Thanksgiving Day... Have a happy holiday and we'll see you soon!
Cancellation Policy: A store credit or refund can be given if cancellation is received with at least 48 hours notice. A store credit will be given for individuals canceling with within one day's notice or day of event. Loss of payment occurs for no-shows. By completing the check-out process you agree to this policy.
The Perfect Night Out
Enjoy drinks, upbeat music and hanging out with your favorite people while you paint! It's as fun for first-time painters as it is for experienced artists.
Fun Atmosphere
From the moment you walk in, the mood is light, the music is fun and the conversation comes easy!
Easy to Do
You don't need to be a seasoned painter — we make it easy for everyone to find their inner artist!
Sit Together
You'll get seats with all your friends, even if you book separately. Just tell us your friends' names when you register.
Paint Your Way
There's no rule that says you have to follow the artist's steps. It's your art, so paint it however you like!
Frequently Asked Questions
Check out our FAQs to learn more about what to expect from your Pinot's Palette experience or feel free to call the studio to speak to a member of our staff.
Where can I park?
Our parking is located behind our studio and you get your first 2 hours free! We do not Validate Parking
Can I bring my kids?
Yes we allow Kids. We recommend the little brushes and afternoon events for kids and pre teens. Our paintings are suited for kids 7 and above.
What is a paint and sip?
Paint and sip events combine social drinking with painting. Our paint and sip studio offers beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages . Everyone gets a canvas and follows an artist's instructions to recreate the featured painting on their own canvas. Paint and sip is not a serious art course – it's about socializing and having fun.
Do I need to know anything about art?
Not at all. Our artists provide easy, step-by-step instructions to help everyone produce a great finished product.
This is my first time; what should I expect?
Expect a relaxed, fun atmosphere – there's no pressure to be Van Gogh! We provide everything, including aprons to protect your clothes and a paint-free space for your purse or coat.


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Dear friends,
From the bottom of our heart we have to apologize, but we are shutting doors.
After our exhibition Freestyle II everything collapsed. It started before the summer and it stayed inactive. Even though we promised to pull this together, we unfortunately did not. This made us realize, especially after the struggle internally we had with our exhibition Alice last year, that we can't go on like this. There was zero to none activity in the past weeks, even months, and we think there won't be any activity any time soon. We feel ashamed because we leave a really good group behind us.
We had an amazing run for how long it lasted. For the past 5 years we've worked and enjoyed this collective of friends, and was amazed at the sheer creativity of our artists. We had the team to present 9 uniquely themed exhibits to the world, something we should be proud of. Throughout the years we've seen this team growing and slinking, growing again and slinking. The artists made The Revuh Collective what it was, a wonderful and beloved group.
Unfortunately, with regret we have to say that The Revuh Collective has run its course. With Freestyle II we've made a lasting impression. We'll be keeping the exhibitions online for you all to see. We will be closing the private forums in short notice. We want to thank you all for participating and being part of the team that is The Revuh Collective. Unfortunately we won't be able to release the new pack we're making, so if you want to publish your pieces, go ahead. We are sorry if you have waited so long and at least can't contribute with your piece to the supposed new pack. We really know how you feel.
Thanks again for your contribution, and we hope to see you somewhere else in the digital art community. Take care and thanks for the support throughout the years.
The Revuh Collective Staff
The Revuh Collective was a network of creative individuals from all edges of the world, dedicated to producing online 'interactive' art exhibitions of the highest quality.
We believed that creativity and inspiration are necessary components of life itself, and it was our mission to provide a globally accessable medium for distributing these elements to the public for their viewing pleasure, free of charge or admission.
From the bottom of our heart we have to apologize, but we are shutting doors. We had an amazing run for how long it lasted. We love you all.
Do you have a passion for creativity and want to show your support? If you believed in what The Revuh Collective stands for and still would like to support us, we thank you in advance. You can grab our attention via email at email@example.com.
We appreciate all donations, whether it be in time or resources donated to our cause.
The Revuh Collective is a non-profit organization.


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One way to summarize the doctrine of divine sovereignty is this: It is God who acts, not man. How will the lost be saved? God must act. How will sinful Christians overcome the "old man"? God must act. How will the church grow in both holiness and influence? Again, God must act. He is the sovereign; He is the great Actor in every aspect of our spiritual life.
This reflection lies at the heart of the Reformed emphasis on the common means of grace. If nothing good happens without God acting, we rightly ask the question, "Then how will He act?" In the same way that those who are thirsty go daily to the well, so those who understand our absolute dependence on divine grace go regularly to those places where God has promised to make Himself known.
It is for this reason that Reformed Christianity has always put a great emphasis on the preaching of the Word of God. God manifests His presence in the sacraments and in prayer, but He especially makes Himself known in the preached Word. That is why Paul wrote so forcefully about the necessity of preaching in Romans 10:14-15.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
Paul saw gospel preaching as an indispensable part of God's plan for the redemption of sinners. Where there is no preaching, there is no knowledge, no faith, no prayer, and no forgiveness. This has nothing to do with the power of preachers and everything to do with God's sovereign will. He makes His grace known in the manner of His choosing, and the manner He has chosen is preaching.
Reformed Christians have therefore consistently affirmed the importance of the preached Word. As our own Confession puts it, following Westminster,
The Grace of Faith, whereby the Elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the Ministry of the Word; by which also, and by the administration of Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, Prayer and other Means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened. (Second London Confession, xiv:1)
This conviction is a necessary consequence of any consistent adherence to the principle of sovereignty. If God is truly sovereign over all gracious work in the soul, then He must control the means by which that work progresses, and further, those means will be the ones identified in His Word.
In contrast to the Reformed consensus on the means of grace, charismaticism has always and inevitably engaged in the belittlement of the ministry of the Word. What has been observed in charismatic churches for decades continues to hold true; no matter what is said of the importance of preaching, the real moment of communion with God comes when there is a prophetic utterance – no matter how banal. Wherever the church adopts charismatic doctrine, emotions must increase and thoughts decrease.
This is no accident of history; an un-serious approach to Scripture is a necessary pre-condition for charismaticism. Consider what would happen if the charismatic were to take the Bible seriously.
First, he would discover the nature of biblical miracles, and he would have to acknowledge that nothing like them has happened anywhere in the church in over nineteen hundred years. So long as he doesn't look at the Bible too closely he can pretend that modern babblings are "tongues," or that psychological palliatives are "healings." Any serious study of New Testament miracle puts an end to such nonsense.
Second, he would discover the power of the Holy Spirit and realize that no church is capable of suppressing Him. The new believers in Acts were not searching for power from on high; no one but Simon Magus did that. Rather, they were carried away by the unstoppable power of the Spirit. Modern charismaticism depends on the notion that most churches somehow prevent the Holy Spirit from exercising His power, but that cannot be true of the Almighty Spirit found in Scripture.
Third, he would find that the Bible expressly speaks of the end of charismatic gifts, and at that point he would have a template within which to understand the last nineteen hundred years. He would realize why it is that the miracles of the Apostolic Age no longer occur, and he would understand that it has nothing to do with proud churches somehow getting the better of the Holy Spirit.
Charismatic doctrine cannot survive sound expository preaching; that is why it inserts a new means of grace. Instead of preaching – by which mind, heart and will are engaged by the Word of God – the charismatic emphasizes "power" – a quintessentially emotional experience divorced from the actual content of the Word. This is why charismatics are simply not Reformed. No matter how much a charismatic might speak about the sovereignty of God, he can never affirm the corresponding and necessary doctrine of the means of grace, and thus his understanding of sovereignty can only be truncated and transient.
Which brings us to Tope Koleoso and his already infamous sermon at Desiring God 2013. Entitled "Sovereign Grace, Spiritual Gifts, and the Pastor; How Should a Reformed Pastor Be Charismatic?", Pastor Koleoso's message is a rather standard example of charismatic boilerplate. It is hard to recognize anything of sovereign grace outside the title, and it was distinctly anti-Reformed in the end.
Some of Pastor Koleoso's lapses in logic were obvious. He equated the power of the Holy Spirit with the charismata, as though the Spirit does not demonstrate power in any other way. He assumed that those who reject the charismata can only do so from fear, from pragmatism, or from pride, as though he never heard of the extensive exegetical arguments for the cessation of gifts. He absolutized Christ's words "the things that I do" in John 12:14, but in an arbitrary manner – we must preach, teach, heal, and deliver; thankfully we are not called upon to redeem, propitiate, create, etc.
What I find more instructive, though, are the more subtle tendencies of his message. As his sermon progressed, Pastor Koleoso seemed increasingly antagonistic toward the ministry of the Word, and at the same time he drove his listeners toward an emotion-centered view of worship. In his eyes preachers without the charismata are arrogant and self-centered, longing for the dignity of preaching and unwilling to surrender to the movement of the Spirit. He panned preaching in general as an unhelpful display of pride from men who are not willing to share their platform with God. Meanwhile, it is important – critical, even! – that men raise their hands in worship and make a great display of their "openness" to the Spirit.
If this sermon is evaluated from an actually Reformed perspective one must conclude that Pastor Koleoso has replaced preaching as the primary means of grace with something ill-defined – a somewhat existential experience of spiritual fire which might just be doused by a man proclaiming the words of the Bible. And indeed he is right: the words of the Bible reveal such rank emotionalism to be sub-Christian, a remnant of paganism.
Many are sad this week that such a message came out of Desiring God, but the confessional and Reformed Christian ought not be surprised. Two lessons should be drawn from this mess.
First, no matter how many "New Calvinists" try to prove otherwise, charismaticism is incompatible with Reformed doctrine. Desiring God has tried to hold the door open to charismatics without jettisoning divine sovereignty, but this cannot work. Hold that door open, and sooner or later the charismatic disparagement of the means of grace will charge through, and without the doctrine of means, sovereign grace is rendered unintelligible.
Secondly, Desiring God suffers from the non-confessionalism of the entire "New Calvinist" movement. Where there is no established doctrinal standard beyond a one-page recitation of orthodoxy, there can be no consistency from one generation to the next. Today's leaders may espouse a mild charismaticism joined with Reformed literature and ethos, but today's leaders must retire from the scene, and when they do, who can say what is coming? This is precisely why Reformed churches have always been confessional. When pastors are bound by confessional oath to uphold such statements as "The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience…" (Second London Confession, i:1) each generation has a solid defense against the encroaching fads of its day.
That "Reformed Charismaticism" should eventually go down this path – dragging the rest of the "New Calvinism" with it – was predictable. Such a doctrine has no solid confession. It pays scant attention to the means of grace. It is not actually Reformed in any meaningful sense.Tom Chantry, Pastor Christ Reformed Baptist Church .


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The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) (also "Gemara" גמרא) is one of the central documents in Judaism. It is a series of rabbinical discussions based on the Mishna, and, in Judaism, is considered part of the Oral law that was given to Moses along with the written Torah. However, there is some indication that the Talmud was intended to supplant God's laws in the Torah.[1]
Modern editions of the Talmud (most of which printed from plates of a Medieval Italian edition) consist of the Mishna, the Gemara, and the commentaries of various scholars. The Mishna was recorded in Hebrew by a Rabbi named Yehudah HaNasi ("Judah the Prince") around A.D. 200. He realized that the oral traditions were in danger of being lost after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The longer part of the Talmud, the Gemara, records ongoing discussions and debates among Rabbis over the three centuries following the creation of the Mishna. It is written in Aramaic.
For a thousand years, the Talmud was preserved in hand-scribed editions. A printed edition was made not long after the invention of movable type. The standard Vilna edition of the Talmud encompasses 2711 large two-sided pages, or folios. The text of the Mishna is interspersed with the Gemara that comments on it. Both texts are surrounded on the printed page with later commentaries.
There are two versions of the Talmud, Babylon (Bavli) and Jerusalem (Yerushalmi). Both are accepted but the Babylonian Talmud is more extensive and more widely studied. Both are available in translation to English, Modern Hebrew, and many other languages.


text:
Stanley SharpTooth Hand Saw 20 in. L Wood Handle(15-087)
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text:
Several exciting debuts are in store as the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra prepares for its 2019-20 season, the 101st in the ensemble's history.
As the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra begins its second century, the organization welcomes two new staff members to lead future growth.
Wilhelmina Nelmes Vogtle, a veteran conductor, singer and educator, has been named the Director of the Sheboygan Symphony Chorus.
The Sheboygan Symphony is adding two new positions to our family!
When Michael Torke returns to Wisconsin this May for the world premiere of his "Music at Night" by the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, it'll bring him back to the state where the popular composer's long, accomplished music career got started.
The Sheboygan Area Youth Symphony (SAYS) will be performing on April 14th at 3:00 pm at the Howards Grove Center for the Arts. The Sheboygan Area Youth Symphony features the Sinfonia and Concert Orchestras. The SAYS Concert Orchestra is directed by Jeremiah Eis and SAYS Sinfonia is led by director Fabian Qamar.
The Sheboygan Symphony's March concert is a celebration of 'Favorites from the SSO's Recent Past' that spotlights five works of music. All selections, except one, are highlighted repertory from the last two music directors' tenures. The single selection that is new to the concerts is a suite of music from the movie A River Runs Through It.
"Teddy Bears and Tunes, our concert specially prepared for pre-school age to third graders focuses on music related to Valentine's Day and music that tells stories," stated Kevin McMahon, SSO Music Director & Conductor. The program is a shorter concert, about thirty minutes of music with five to ten minutes of storytelling and images projected to make the concert experience come alive for the children.
The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra's midwinter concert promises to be a 'musical smorgasbord.' Music Director and Conductor Kevin McMahon explained, "Our February concert is themed "Old World, New World. The Old World music includes works by Stravinsky and Dvorak, while the New World menu includes selections by Gershwin and Thomas Massella."
The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will present a program featuring a dozen works of popular holiday music. Most pieces are shorter in length than typical traditional symphonic pieces.
The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra invites one and all to experience its historic 100th anniversary celebratory season. The October 6th concert is a memorable start to a monumental season for the oldest performing orchestra in the state. Kevin R. McMahon, Music Director and Conductor stated, "Being a part of the 100th Anniversary Season of the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra is an honor."
SHEBOYGAN - The Sheboygan Symphony, the oldest symphony orchestra in the state, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this season.
The Sounds of Brahms & Mahler will fill the Weill Center in an unforgettable evening of classical favorites as the Sheboygan Symphony closes its 2017-2018 season with a program called "Romantic." Two great composers, Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler will be featured.
The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Kevin McMahon, presents the March Concert - named "Spring" with American Classics. The theme itself refers to Robert Schumann's First Symphony, known as "Spring" as well as two works by American composers Alan Hovhaness and Lukas Foss. Orchestral musicians suggested two of the five works on the program.
Experience the talent of Sheboygan County's young symphony musicians January 28, 2018 at 3:00 pm at the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. The program will provide musical adventures through the ages – from classical intrigue to music of foreign lands to blockbuster movie themes.
The Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra launches its 2017-2018 Season at the Weill Center for the Performing Arts spotlighting beloved classical composers and our own principal cellist. Conductor and Music Director, Kevin McMahon, stated, "A delightful season opening concert is available, called 'Mozart and Tchaikovsky.' The program centers around two of the finest and well-loved, historical composers, as we share the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky."


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Our super soft knitted hats are available in a variety of colours, from electric blue, to baby pink. Adorned with two oversized raccoon fur pom poms they are sure to make a statement!
The ribbed style is knitted from a luxurious wool blend, with an adjustable wool turn up that is ideal for cold weather. Fashion meets function with a detachable pom pom that makes these hats easy to wash too! An ideal purchase to keep your little one snuggled up all winter. Puuuurfect!
- Size 0 - 4 years.
- Hat width 12 - 13cm.
- 70% polyester, 30% nylon.
- Detachable raccoon fur pom pom. Please note that the appearance of the pom pom can vary as this is a natural material.
- Hand wash. Just remember to take that gorgeous fluffy pom pom off first!


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|[[RemoteControlRemotely Controlling a Transceiver over the Internet]]
|[[RemoteControl|Remotely Controlling a Transceiver over the Internet]]
Remotely Controlling a Transceiver over the Internet using VSPE
de Rich W3ZJ
There are a couple of different ways you can accomplish remote station control. One is by installing DXLab on your shack computer and accessing it remotely via a remote desktop application such as TeamViewer or the one built into the Pro versions of Microsoft operating systems. This works reasonably well as long as you have a fast broadband Internet connection both at home and at your remote location. In this configuration, a voice over IP (VOIP) application like Skype can be used to provide remote access to audio for phone and digital mode operation.
A second is by installing the DXLab applications on your portable computer and creating Virtual Serial Ports which act exactly like real serial ports but are actually TCP interfaces to the real ports on your shack computer. Since this method doesn't require the display of all the graphics on your shack desktop it is less dependent on a high speed Internet connection to work well.
Install the Electrologic Virtual Ports Emulator
First, download a copy of VSPE to be installed on both your shack and remote computers. Note that this is free for 32 bit versions and $24.95 for 64 bit versions. The 32 bit version will work on your 64 bit operating system but it will nag you to purchase the 64 bit license. Follow the installation instructions and install it on both of your computers.
Configure VSPE on your shack computer
- Terminate any DXLab and other applications that access your serial ports.
Start VSPE; the Visual Serial Ports Emulator window will appear:
On the menu bar click "Device" and then select "Create…"; the Specify device type window will appear:
Click on the down arrow on the right side of the Device type selector and select TCPServer:
Click the Next > button; the Specify device characteristics window will appear:
Note that the default Local TCP port defaults to 5555; this is an OK place to start. I use three COM ports. COM1 is connected to my radio, COM2 is connected to my rotor controller and COM4 is actually a USB to serial port converter in my Winkeyer USB. Your set up will probably be different; just keep in mind that you will be setting up a TCP port server for each of the COM devices connected to some piece of apparatus in your shack.
For the first Local TCP port use 5555 as the port number, leave the Interface IP box blank, click the down arrow next to the Source serial port and select the COM port you want to serve to your portable computer. Mine happens to be COM1, which is the COM port to which my radio is connected.
Click the Settings... button and select the proper speed, DTS/RTS, parity, bits and stop bits to match the equivalent parameters of the device connected to the COM port.
Click the Finish button
Repeat steps 5a, 5b, and 5c for each of your serial ports. Increment the Local TCP port each time and select the appropriate COM port for your station apparatus. When you finish, the Visual Serial Ports Emulator window will look like this (with your COM port numbers instead of mine):
If Ready appears in the Status column instead of n/a, click Emulation in the menu bar and select Stop before proceeding to the next step.
Click File in the menu bar and select Save as…. In the file save dialog, select a convenient folder to save your configuration and give it a name like VSPE-Server. To restart VSPE at a later time, double click on this file in Windows Explorer so that it starts with your configurations. This completes the setup for the server (shack) side.
Configure VSPE on your portable computer
Start VSPE on your portable computer; the Visual Serial Ports Emulator window will appear:
On the menu bar click "Device" and then select "Create…"; the Specify device type window will appear:
Accept the device type of Connector by clicking the Next > button.
Enter the virtual COM port number you want to use and then click the Finish. Note that these do not have to match the COM port numbers on your shack computer but you will later have to configure the DXLab applications to use the appropriate virtual COM port numbers. I started with COM2 because my laptop has a physical COM1 port and I don't want to conflict with that.
- Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 above for each of the virtual COM ports you need.
In the Visual Serial Ports Emulator window's menu bar, select Device and then click the Create... button. Set the Device type selector to TCP client and then click the Next > button.
In the Remote TCP host box, if you have a fixed IP address enter that IP address. If you use Dynamic DNS to track changes in your public IP address, as I do, enter the name of your Dynamic DNS host.
In the Remote TCP port box, enter the TCP port number that corresponds with a TCP port that you defined in the server set up above.
In the Source Serial Port box, enter the COM port number that corresponds with the TCP port you entered in the previous step.
Click the Settings button and configure the virtual COM port speed etc. to match the corresponding settings that you defined in the server set up above.
Click the Finish button.
- Repeat steps 6 through 11 for each of the virtual serial ports you are setting up. When you are finished, you should have something similar to this: (Dynamic DNS address altered for security reasons)
If the status column in says Ready or OK instead of n/a, click Emulation on the Visual Serial Ports Emulator window's menu bar and select Stop before proceeding to the next step.
Click File in the Visual Serial Ports Emulator window's menu bar and select Save as…. In the file save dialog, select a convenient folder to save your configuration and give it a name like VSPE-Client. As with the server side, you will want to start VSPE from this file so that it initializes with your custom configuration. This completes the setup for the client (portable computer) side, but there are some additional things you need to do before you can access your virtual ports over the Internet (outside of your local LAN).
Configure Port Forwarding on your Router
You will need to configure your router to forward the TCP ports you defined above I.E.: 5555, 5556, 5557, etc. to the LAN IP address of your shack computer I.E.: 192.168.?.?. Unfortunately, every router manufacturer has their own idea of menu formats for doing this and some may even call it something other than port forwarding. So, I can't give you step-by-step instructions for doing this, you will have to consult your router manual.
Configure DXLab and Any Other Applications You May Use
In Commander, configure your Primary CAT Serial Port and, if any, Secondary CAT Serial Port to use the virtual COM port numbers you defined in the client set up above.
If you are using a PTT port, configure WinWarbler to use the virtual PTT COM port you defined in the client set up above.
If you are using rotor control, configure DXView to use the virtual rotor port you defined in the client set up above.
If you are using any third party applications that access serial ports such as pstRotatorAZ, configure those to use the virtual COM port numbers you defined in the client set up above.
Install and configure a sound application such as Skype or IP-Sound to convey the audio from your rig to your portable computer.
Test Your Setup
In the VSPE application running on your shack computer, click the green arrow on the tool bar or click Emulation on the menu bar and select Start. The window should now look like this:
- In the VSPE application running on your portable computer, do the same as step 2 above. The window should now look like this:
The server (shack) side VSPE window should have also changed to look like this: (Note, the Status has changed from Ready to OK)
- If you see anything in red on either the client or server side, something is wrong; go back and check all of your settings. Assuming all is well, you can now start up DXLab and any other applications you may use for station control on your portable computer and it should all be working the same as it does when you are in your shack.
Remotely Controlling a Transceiver over the Internet


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The solid hardwood commercial grade frame features a completely enclosed gliding mechanism to prevent little ones from crawling underneath. Extra wide seat is 4' wider than our Lullaby Glider, making it even more spacious for caregiver and infant, while providing a secure, smooth ride. The fabric is heavy-duty, and extra plush for added comfort. Includes side panels with deep pockets allowing caregiver to keep supplies at arm's reach. Seat cover and side panels remove for machine washing. Meets California 117 Fire Standards.
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